Fun story with just enough magic to intrigue kids 4th to 6th grade, Fans of magic will likely enjoy this book. Story is well written and I thought the characters were well developed. Good one for Halloween!

When the stone gargoyles in Spraksville start talking to Goff, he discovers that ending up there wasn't accidental. Thirteen generations ago, Goff's ancestor stopped a dark wizard from performing an ancient ritual to become invincible. Now, due to magical laws, Goff must prevent the present-day counterpart from performing the same ritual in Spraksville on Halloween night.

It's a deadly, winner-take-all battle to save the world where one side has prepared for centuries and the other doesn't have a clue. The stakes couldn't be higher, and for Goff, the odds any worse - his only assets are his wits, maybe a little luck, and questionable help from a ragtag group of new friends. Basically, Goff doesn't stand a chance.

I really enjoyed this middle grade fantasy adventure. It was full of magic, mischief and mayhem. Goff is an affable and unconventional hero and with his ragtag band of friends made for a heartwarming and at times hilarious read. Filled with tension and mystery as well as humour this story delves into themes of friendship, self belief and perseverance through adversity that are fantastic messages for any young adult to read about.

The premise is interesting, though the twists aren't as twisty as they could be. The idea of misplaced magic finding it's way to a misplaced human is fun, though admittedly this book could have used a bit more magic . I think our main character uses magic 5 or 6 times, with the majority of that use in the last 30% of the book.

The characters are fun, especially the pauring of cat and bones early on in the book. The bullies are overdone and worthy of nothing but an eyeroll, and some redemption arcs are earned by the end.

Overall, great for pre- and early-teens.

An excellent Halloween read! Don’t know whether it’s a standalone or the start of a series, but I’m satisfied all the same!

Goff Grahm is a loser. An orphan being passed around by foster homes, bullied at school, and generally having no bright future in front of him – not to mention the classic nerd in all terms possible. But he’s fighting to get out of his situation and find something better for him – a scholarship that will take him away from Spraksville. Unfortunately, in doing so, he awakens arcane powers long forgotten, and ends up making a rather deadly warlock as his enemy. What’s a boy to do when he’s told he’s meant to lose the magic battle that will decide the fate of the world?

Honestly, the story was a perfect for youngsters and older ages – it was enjoyable, but it had its dark moments, too. Taking place during Halloween, it was bound to be creepy at times. The dialogues were clearly childish, which I approve of, given the fact the main characters were children. Funny one-liners, especially by Halstrom and Bones, and an action-packed pace, make for a page-turner fitting just perfect this time of the year.

It was a bit predictable at some parts, but I didn’t mind, the simplicity made it easier for such a story to unravel and travel the reader to Spraksville and Monstraxen, as kids try to survive the hordes of reapers and monsters. The ending, though, had a major plot twist, right where it counted, so kudos for that!

I especially loved Pam’s character development. It was a cute surprise and I was a bit sad when she chose Ben over Halstrom, but I can understand where she comes from, family does come first.

All in all, a really nice, spooky story that is guaranteed to make the reader forget their worries for a bit and instead worry about the biggest loser wizard of all time and his dog, haha! (because we all know we worried for Brak most of all)

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***

Foster kid Goff is trying to get into a prestigious academy. He decides to do a paper on the town's magical past. He ends up casting a spell and becoming an becoming an enemy of a powerful evil wizard. Good story

Misfit's Magic is an entertaining debut which take setting at mysterious small city Sparkville with witch history. The eerie atmosphere is flesh out from description of the city and very intriguing since begining.

The story it self following an orphan name Goff Grahm who suffer bullies and
plan to win a scholarship to boarding school. He is an underdog but the more we know him it is clear that he isn't weak. He weaponize himself with healthy dosage of sarcasm and witty banter. In the process he stumble to magic, found new friendship, and breathingtaking adventures.

I love children book and read it together with my kid. Specially the one with enough plot for satisfying older readers but not confusing the target age. This one delivered all of that. The writing is smooth and enjoyable to follow. The pace is good, loveable characters but the sparks of this story is the banter.
I think the swearing isnt necessary but overall this one is fun and perfect choice as new Halloween collection.

Thank you Netgalley and Bisket Press LLC for provided me with both copy and audio. I am enjoyed my time and my thoughts are my own.

Misfit's Magic by Fred Gracely was a fun read--
For the most part I really enjoyed the book (there were times when it seemed to drag pacing wise just a bit)
From the description "By age thirteen, the list of nasty foster homes Goff had lived in was longer than he was old. He'd given up on having friends long ago. He survived by keeping his head down, hiding from bullies, ignoring teasing morons, and pouring himself into earning a Scholarship to Amworth Academy, a place he hoped he could finally call home. When transferred to Spraksville, a town with a history of witchcraft, it was just more of the same to him -- until the stone gargoyles started talking to him. That changed everything. "
I had feared a Harry Potter want to be type story and at first there wasn't much to indicate that things would go a different direction, but they did, and I was glad I hung around long enough to find out.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #BisketPress, and Fred Gracely for the ARC of #Misfit'sMagic.

Amazon summary
Thirteen generations ago, Goff's ancestor stopped a dark wizard from performing an ancient ritual to become invincible. Now, due to magical laws, Goff is the only one who can stop the present-day counterpart from performing the same ritual in Spraksville on Halloween night.

It's a deadly, winner-take-all battle where one side has prepared for centuries, and the other doesn't have a clue.

My review
Great book, i really enjoyed reading this book. The world building was great and I loved the characters. A great starter by book for kids and young adults, wanting to delve into fantasy.

This is a perfect fantasy novel for children and YA readers, and all those who like an easy satisfying, good feel, read. Perfect for fans of Roald Dahl’s children books. Can the fate of the people of Spraksville really be left up to Goff? A put upon, bullied orphan. He will need to find some magic and friends if he is to succeed. Thank you to Biskett Press LLC and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine freely given.

Although this is a fairly standard young adult fantasy story, a misfit and his friends have to save the world from an evil villain, it is well done. The characters of Goff and his friends have depth and there are enough plot twists to keep the story interesting.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

This is a teen book that revolves around Golf , a thirteen years old boy who have had to be in different foster homes more than his age. Not lucky enough to make friends or stay in one place for long, he's accepted his fate.
Until his history teacher tells him of Amworth offering journalism scholarship, he was ecstatic. He finally found a way to get rid of Foster cares and Spraksville. If only he knew, perhaps he'd have stayed put and accepted fate OR not🤷 . Find out in the pages.
The book is adventurous, thrilling and nothing short of interesting from beginning to the end. The characters, setting, plot and theme is so distinctive and beautiful. I loved every second of it.
P:S - if you're a fan of Harry Potter, you'd definitely want to take this up. It's magnetic ✌️

"His eyes ran over the ornate serifs and twirls of the words while a breeze rustled the leaves dangling over the gravestones. An owl hooted in reply, serenading the thin clouds sliding in front of a low, large moon like a flock of ghosts."

By thirteen Goff finds himself in yet another bad foster home, where he is forced to cook, clean and be the butt of everyones joke. On top of that, he is also bullied at school, and without friends to speak of. even the weirdos keep clear. His only hope of escaping is if he gets the scholarship to the Amworth Academy. But during his late night spell-casting at a local cemetery (research for the award winning essay he plans to write), a gargoyle suddenly speaks to him.
With the help of a few unespected friends he discovers that ending up in spraksville, a town with history of witchcraft, wasnt an accident. Thirteen generations back, Goff’s ancestor stopped a maniacal dark wizard from performing an ancient ritual to become invincible. Now, due to magical laws, Goff is the one who must stop the present-day counterpart living in Spraksville—Harkland Mathers XIII—from performing the same ritual on Halloween night. But there is just one problem. Goff's family tree is cursed, they are as magical as broken kitchen appliances. If he doesnt suceed, no one in town will survive, and the rest of the world will fall into darkness. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and for Goff, the odds couldn’t be worse.

I was so excited to read this one for spooky season and I wasnt dissappointed! The depictions of autumn and the surroundings in this book is just chefs kiss! I can almost feel the smell of the leaves on the ground and the rain in the air. I also loved how Spraksville just kept getting more and more Halloween-decorations as Halloween grew closer.

"The sun glowed deep red along the horizon, illuminating the trees sporting vast plumes of leaves in brilliant autumn shades -red, orange, yellow, and coffee brown. The air smelled of rotting apples and wet earth. The store windows glowed with Halloween colors, and each displayed some blend of hairy spiders, black cats, dangling skeletons, green witches and glowing jack-o-lanterns." I mean does it get more atmospheric than that? I think not.

I felt like it was dragging a bit towards the end chapters, and the ending itself was a bit too drawn out for my liking but I'm really nitpicking. It felt a bit complicated too at times and since I'm not the target audience it could be a bit hard for younger readers to understand and keep up.

I loved Goff as a main character, with all the bullyng and hardships he endures he keeps being an absolute sweetheart throughout the book, never choosing evil even when he has no other alternative. I also really liked how the relationship with the side characters was developing through the book and how they stood by Goff and stood up for him when he needed it. And speaking of side characters, Maxim and Bones! Omg I loved them so much. I*ll probably miss them the most now that I've finished the book.

I really enjoyed reading this book and would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read and review this eARC!

TW: bullying, death, animal death

I read this with the older grandchildren and they enjoyed it immensely. I found it ok but then I am not the target audience. The children compared it to Harry Potter which has to be a good thing.

This book wasn't quite what I was expecting, but in a good way. I loved Goff from the beginning and loved watching him come into his own as the story went on. Despite what he has been through he remains a kind, caring young man which comes in handy as the situation becomes more dire. I also really liked Lydia and Halstrom and how they stood by Goff and stood up for him. The story got a little complicated at parts which might be tough for younger readers to follow but older middle grade level readers will do fine. The only thing I would change was a little more closure at the end with regard to what happened to the town after Goff stopped the ritual. I'm guessing by the final chapter there will be more in this series, so maybe we will learn more in a later book. This is a great book for the Halloween season!

This was a challenge to read and get through as it felt too long for my taste. Some chapters and descriptions were redundant and excessive. I did feel compassion though for the main character and liked his voice.

I enjoyed reading this fantasy tale. The antagonist is incredibly powerful, and all Goff, our young hero, has in his favour is a couple of eccentric friends, plus an animated skeleton and preserved cat as advisors who just want an easy life, and a tiny spark of purple magic called Majesty who wants to serve Goff, so it was a good depiction of the little guys against the big powerful enemy.
I really liked how dark the villain's scheme is, although that makes the story more upper middle grade/teens. The other plot element that really appealed to me was the fact that the answer lies in the past and I really enjoyed how the author handled this (I'd say more but I'm trying to avoid giving spoilers!)..
My favourite character was Majesty though I loved Brak, the dog, too.
I wasn't full clear on the magic system, and I didn't like Goff and his friends as much as I wanted to, and there was a grave-robbing scene at the start whose purpose was never explained (or else I missed it), but these minor gripes aside, this is a well-paced, exciting, fantasy horror, well worth reading!

Goff is a thirteen-year-old boy who has changed a lot of adoptive families. He knows that he will not find any friends and for this reason he wants to earn a Scholarship to Amworth Academy with a sort of essay about witchcraft in Spraksville. Then one day, during its explorations in the cemetery, a gargoyle starts talking to him. And a spooky adventure begins.

First of all, thank you to Bisket Press for the opportunity to read this book.
I had a lot of fun while reading it. The atmosphere is spooky, mysterious and intriguing.
This book is perfect to be read during the fall, and especially in October.

This story is a magical adventure through time in which a young boy and his outcast friends battle black magic with the help of an animated skeleton and a lively taxidermied cat. There is a rich cast of characters that seem to come to life off the page. Our heroes face insurmountable odds, but they never give up. Their determination to do what is right does not go unnoticed, and they garner help from unexpected places. Although written for a young audience, the book is entertaining for everyone. The story draws you in from the start, and you won't want to put it down until you know how it ends. I found the book to be a fun, humorous and exciting read!

4.2/5⭐
(I received a free copy of this from Netgalley)

I really liked the idea and use of magic within this book, it felt fresh and new. The idea that there is day and night magic as well as having to bond with the magic was an interesting touch that also affected the plot and how the characters interact with the magic.

For its target audience of kids/teens, I feel it was appropriate and very well done with an interesting storyline that doesn't get too complicated, so everyone can follow along with the story. Yet that doesn't mean that the plot was boring, in fact I really enjoyed the plot and every point was woven well.

I think my only downside to this book is that although the characters have their own unique personality, they can be very stereotypical at times such as the dumb jock and the nerds and the cheerleaders etc. Also the fact that although the book touches upon aspects such as bullying and feeling useless and hiding our true selves, we don't truly see how those aspects affect the characters and sometimes it felt like it was thrown in to give them some reason to be "different".

Imagine Harry, Ron and Hermione trying to defeat Voldemort before ever going to Hogearts, with some reluctant support from Dudley, and you basically have this book. That's not to say that this is a bad thing-there's a reason why Harry Potter has been a popular series. But at the same time, it means "Misfit's Magic" has less of a feeling of a new book, and more a feeling of familiarity, and a "how will the author solve this immediate problem". I do think this is a book that would be enjoyable for kids and would be a good fit for school and classroom libraries. I do not think it would be a good choice for class study due to the fact that it is such a common model and is the kind of book kids would read on their own